The New York Islanders are in an interesting place as an organization. They’ve made the playoffs the past two seasons, but haven’t advanced past the first round either time. Still, they’ve been in the postseason five of the past six seasons. The biggest question regarding their franchise is how legitimate of a claim do they have as Stanley Cup contenders?
Many expect the Islanders to compete for a top spot in the Metropolitan Division in 2024, so it was a bit surprising to see the Islanders show up last on a recent ranking of front office confidence by The Athletic. The article took submissions from fans of all 32 teams as well as insights from their staff to rank all of the front offices in the NHL.
For the second straight year, the Islanders are dead last in this ranking. The Athletic staff writer Dom Luszczyszyn provided some insight on why the Islanders aren’t inciting much confidence from their fanbase. It starts and ends with general manager and long-time NHL coach and executive Lou Lamoriello.
“That doesn’t mean the current brain trust on Long Island inspires much confidence,” he wrote. “The Islanders front office isn’t great and has a good argument to be the league’s current worst outfit as long as Lamoriello remains behind the wheel. But it’s not all bad and is a massive step up from some of the disastrous regimes that used to run teams into the ground.”
The Islanders have certainly made some questionable decisions under Lamoriello’s guidance. Last summer was a prime example as the team signed forward Pierre Engvall and defenseman Scott Mayfield each to seven-year contracts.
Both Engvall and Mayfield are solid players for the Islanders and fill depth roles. The issue is not the players themselves, but the commitment to both players for so long feels unnecessary. It is indicates that Lamoriello and his front office are prioritizing the wrong things for the organization.
What really stands out about Mayfield’s contract is that he has a full no trade clause for four more seasons before transitioning to a a limited trade clause to finish up his new deal. It’s the same structure worked into Bo Horvat’s contract, the team’s top center. When your second or third pairing defender is given the same contractual security as the team’s top center, it’s hard to feel thrilled with your team’s general manager.
